Trigger mechanism for air guns



April 7, 1953 A. LAWRENCE TRIGGER MECHANISM FOR AIR Guns Original Filed Feb. 28, 1946 1NVENTOR.' AND E W L RE/VCE Patented Apr. 7, 1953 2,633,839 TRIGGER MECHANISM FOR AIR GUNS Andrew Lawrence, New York, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Stephen E. Laszlo, New York, N. Y.

Original application February 28, 1946, Serial No. 650,771. Divided and this application October 21, 1949, Serial N0. 122,668

3 Claims. (01. 12445) This invention relates to trigger mechanism for air pistols and provides improvements therein. This application is a division of application Serial No. 650,771, filed February 28, 1946, which matured into U. S. Patent No. 2,525,689.

:In air pistols comprising a cylinder, a piston, and a spring acting on the piston, very considerable force is stored in the spring for compressing air. The spring is held in compression by a detent on a sear forming part of a trigger mechanism. To release the detent against which the large force of the spring under compression is acting, requires a strong pull on a trigger. Such a strong pull interferes with maintaining a true aim of the pistol on the target while the trigger is being pulled.

According to the present invention the compressed spring may be released from the action ofthe detent by a light pull on the trigger, thus greatly improving the aiming of the pistol.

The invention comprises a piston and a spring acting thereon, a sear having a detent thereon for positively holding said piston against the pressure of said spring, a trigger, 13,1'1 intermediary self-powered sear actuating means between said trigger and sear, and means for retaining the intermediary sear actuating means inactive, the construction and arrangement being such that the trigger acts to release the intermediary sear actuating means from its retaining means and the intermediary sear actuating means acts independently to disengage the sear detent to release the spring pressed piston.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The trigger mechanism of this invention, however, may be embodied in various other embodiments of air pistols than is herein specifically illustrated and described.

Figure l is a view of a pneumatic pistol embodying the present invention, the view being partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section and showing the parts in position for dis charge and the spring under compression and held in compressed position by the action of the detent on the sear.

Figure 2 is a similar view, showing the parts in position for effecting compression of the spring which acts on the piston and also for compressing the spring forming a part of the self-powered intermediary device which acts on the sear when the trigger is pulled.

Referring to said drawings, numeral I2 desig- Irates a frame which, as here illustrated, is provided with a stock or hand-grip l6.

'Pivoted to the frame, as indicated at M, is a tubular part or cylinder 22, in the rear part of which air is compressed. Within the cylinder is a piston 26, against which acts a spring 32, which, when compressed and released, causes the piston 26 to compress air in the rear part of cylinder 22.

The trigger mechanism comprises a trigger or finger piece 55 and a sear 5'! pivoted to the cylinder, as indicated at 59, and having a nose or detent '6l adapted to positively engage a locking notch or groove 35 in the piston 26 to hold the spring 32 in its compressed condition. The sear 51 is normally pressed into notch engaging position by means of a spring 63 supported by [a transverse plate 66, rfixed in a suitable manner to the cylinder. The pressure of the spring 32 being strong, when fully compressed, a strong pull on the trigger would be required to disengage the detent 6| from the notch 35 in the piston 26, and thereby release the spring. in order to provide fora light pull on the trigger, an intermediary self-powered sear releasing device is provided 'between the trigger 55 and the sear. The trigger releasing device comprises :a lever 65 pivoted to the frame, as indicated atBl, and has a slot 69 therein through which the pivot pin passes, so that the lever 65 can not only turn on its pivot, but also slide thereon. The scar 5! is provided with a tail H which is contacted by the lever 65 of the sear releasingdevice. The lever v65 is acted upon by a fairly strong spring '53 acting in the direction to turn the lever 65 around pivot 61 to contact tail H of scar 51. In the cocked position of the trigger mechanism the lever is prevented from turning on its pivot by the engagement of a nose 15 with a suitable stop, as the'plate (it, the lever 65, as shown in Fig. 1, being at this time shifted on its pivot pin 61 into close proximity to the trigger 55. A pull on the trigger 55 shifts the lever 85 on its pivot pin El and disengages the nose [5 of the lever. from the stop 66, and, under the pressure of the spring 13, the lever 65, when so released from the stop 56, turns about its pivot, contacts the tail H of the sear, and turns the sear on its pivot, thereby releasing the piston 26 which is under the action of the compression spring 32, After the lever 65 has been released from the stop 65, it comes in contact with a pin or the like H on the frame 12, and a cam portion '78 on the lever 65 coacting with the pin 71 shifts the lever 65 forwardly on its pivot pin 67, so that when the pistol is recharged land the trigger mechanism recocked, the nose 15 will lie under the stop 66, and

in this position the stop 66 will contact the nose '5 on the lever 65 and re-compress the spring 13 when the cylinder 22 is turned on its pivot 14 back onto the frame, after having been turned away from the frame to effect compression of the spring 32 and the re-engagement of the detent 64 of the sear with the piston 26.

A further advantage of this trigger mechanism lies in the fact that it enables the user to practice the technique of trigger pulling without loading, merely by opening the gun just sufficiently to cock the trigger and close it again.

Operation slides the nose 15 of the lever out of contact with I stop 66. The lever 55 thereupon turns on pivotpin 61 under the pressure of spring 13. The lever 65, in turning, contacts the tail H of sear 51 and turns the sear on its pivot pin 59 and pulls the detent iii of the sear out of notch or groove 35 in the piston. This releases the piston 26-, and the compressed spring 32 drives the piston rearwardly, compressing air in the cylinder 22. A bullet or pellet is thereupon shot or discharged from the pistol by the compressed air.

To charge and load the pistol for another shot, the cylinder 22 is grasped with one hand and the frame, by stock I6, is grasped with the other, and the cylinder and frame turned apart around the pivot pin l4. This pivotal movement acts on the spring 32 to compress it, and when the piston 26 has been pulled all the way forward, the nose 6! of sear 51 engages a notch 35 in the piston and holds the piston against the compression force of the spring 32. After the detent on the sear engages the piston 26, the cylinder is then swung back to bring the cylinder and frame together.

After the releasing of the lever 65 from stop 66,

the cam on the lever comes into contact with pin 11. Due to the combined action of the spring 13 and cam 19, the lever 65 is shifted forwardly on its pivot pin 61, and is thus in position for its nose to be contacted by the stop 66, at the approach of the stop 66 as the cylinder 22 is turned back onto the frame 12. In the latter part of the turning movement of the cylinder onto the frame the lever 65 is pushed down and its spring 13 recompressed. The parts are thus re-set for the discharge of the pistol when the trigger is again pulled.

Trigger practice may be done without moving the cylinder 22 and frame I2 apart to the extent that the spring 32 is fully compressed and the sear 51 engaged with the piston 26. For trigger practice the cylinder 22 may be turned away from the frame 12 only to the relatively slight extent required to raise the stop 66- slightly above the nose [5 of the lever 65 after the latter has been released and is resting against the stop 11. Then, by turning the cylinder 22 back to the frame, the nose !5 of the lever 85 will be engaged by stop 66, compressing spring 13, thus re-cocking the pistol. When trigger 55 is pulled, the nose [5 of the lever 65 is slid out of engagement with stop 66, thereby releasing the lever 65, as hereinbefore explained and, there will be a click as the nose of lever 65 strikes the pin or stop l7, simulating the discharge of the pistol. The sear 5! will be actuated in the normal manner, though its movement will be an idle one, since there will be no release of the piston 26, the spring 32 not having been com- 4 pressed and the piston being at the breech end of the cylinder 22.

The invention is applicable to air-rifles, and the word pistol in the specification and claims is not to be understood as excluding air-rifles.

What is claimed is:

1. In an air gun, in combination, a frame; a barrel turnably mounted on said frame movable between a shooting position and a turned position angularly spaced from said shooting position; a

sear mounted on said barrel movable between an engaging position for engaging a spring loaded piston located in said barrel, and a releasing position for releasing said piston; first spring means mounted on said barrel an permanently urging said sear from said releasing position into said engaging position; a releasing member mounted on said frame located oppositely said sear when said barrel is in said shooting position, said releasing member being movable between a cooked position spaced from said sear and an actuating position engaging said sear for moving the same to said releasing position: second spring means permanently urging said releasing member to move from said cocked position into said actuating position; blocking means secured to said barrel and engaging said releasing member during movement of said barrel from said turned position to said shooting position of the same, said blocking means moving said releasing member from said actuating position into said cocked position so as to hold the same in said cocked position while said barrel is in said shooting position; and a trigger movably mounted on said frame for disengaging said releasing member from said blocking means while said barrel is in said shooting position so that said second spring means moves said releasing member to said actuating position for moving said sear to said releasing position of the same.

2. In an air gun, in combination, a frame; a barrel turnably mounted on said frame movable between a shooting position and a turned position angularly spaced from said shooting position; a sear mounted on said barrel movable between an engaging position for engaging a spring loaded piston located in said barrel, and a releasing position for releasing said piston; first spring means mounted on said barrel and permanently urging said sear from said releasing position into said engaging position; a pin fixedly secured to said frame; a releasing'member formed with a slot for receiving said pin and being slidably and pivotally mounted on said pin, said releasing member being located oppositely said sear when said barrel is in said shooting position, said releasing member being pivotable between a cooked position spaced from said sear and an actuating position engaging said sear for moving the same to said releasing position; second s ring means permanently urging said releasing member to move from said cocked position into said actuating position; blocking means secured to said barrel and slidably engaging said releasing member during movement of said barrel from said turned position to said shooting position of the same, said blocking means moving said releasing member from said actuating position into said cocked position so as to hold the same in said cocked position While said barrel is in said shooting position; and a trigger movably mounted on said frame and during movement thereof sliding said releasing member off said blocking means for disengaging said releasing member from said blocking means while said barrel is in said shooting position so that said second spring means moves said releasing member to said actuating position for moving said sear to said releasing position of the same.

3. In an air gun, in combination, a frame; a barrel turnably mounted on said frame movable between a shooting position and a turned position angularly spaced from said shooting position; a sear mounted on said barrel movable between an engaging position for engaging a spring loaded piston located in said barrel, and a releasing position for releasing said piston; first spring means mounted on said barrel and permanently urging said sear from said releasing position into said engaging position; a releasing member mounted on said frame located oppositely said sear when said barrel is in said shooting position, said releasing member being movable between a cocked position spaced from said sear and an actuating position engaging said sear for moving the same to said releasing position; second spring means permanently urging said releasing member to move from said cocked position into said actuating position; blocking means secured to said barrel and engaging said releasing member during movement of said barrel from said turned position to said shooting position of the same. said blocking means moving said releasing member from said actuating position into said cocked position so as to hold the same in said cocked position while said barrel is in said shooting position; a stop means fixedly secured to said frame and engaging said releasing member after the same has moved from said cocked position to said actuating position; and a trigger movably mounted on said frame for disengaging said releasing member from said blocking means while said barrel is in said shooting position so that said second spring means moves said releasing member to said actuating position for moving said sear to said releasing position of the same.

ANDREW LAWRENCE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,116,675 Cook Nov. 10, 1914 2,194,142 Foss Mar. 19, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 471,596 Germany Feb. 15, 1929 

